A lower back injury has sidelined World No. 3 Andy Roddick, forcing him to withdraw from Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai. Roddick sustained the injury on Friday during his quarterfinal match versus David Ferrer at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris.

The 23-year-old American was to make his third consecutive appearance at the $4.45 million circuit finale, which begins this Sunday at the new Qi Zhong Stadium. Roddick owns a 5-3 record in the event and reached the semifinals of Tennis Masters Cup Houston in both 2003-04.

"Though I have tried to continue with practice, the lower back spasms continue,” said Roddick. “After being evaluated by medical staff upon my return to the United States, it is now clear that I am not able to resume tennis-activities for 10-14 days.

“I apologize to the loyal fans and sponsors that have expected my participation in Tennis Masters Cup. It is an honor for me to have qualified for this event for the third-straight year. I realize the tremendous amount of time and effort the ATP and the Chinese government have spent on the event, and know it will be a huge success. I look forward to getting healthy, starting my off-season workouts for the 2006 season, and working towards qualifying for Shanghai next year.”

Roddick’s injury translated into David Nalbandian’s good fortune. The Argentine, who had a strong circuit finish that included back-to-back semifinal appearances in Masters Series Madrid and Basel, was elevated from his alternate status to a berth in the elite eight-man field. The Argentine titled in Munich this year, and was one of three players along with Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt to reach the quarterfinals or better in three Grand Slam tournaments.

Nalbandian played in the 2003 Masters Cup, and is the third Argentine to qualify for this year’s finale, joining countrymen Guillermo Coria and Gaston Gaudio. The other contenders set to take the stage in Shanghai include World No. 1 Federer, Spanish teen sensation Rafael Nadal, 12-time circuit finale competitor Andre Agassi, and first-time qualifiers Nikolay Davydenko and Ivan Ljubicic.

well if a South American papers say it, it must be true, aslo according to them no Arges doped :tape:

R.Federer

11-09-2005, 01:25 AM

Oh this is too bad.

I posted elsewhere, that of the Top 6 he was the ONLY one fit 10 days ago, and ironically all the rest are now going, and he is not! It is too bad. But there is still a strong field in Shanghai

*Viva Chile*

11-09-2005, 01:26 AM

Poor Andy :sad:
First Marat... then Andy, both for injuries. Recover soon! :hug:

+alonso

11-09-2005, 01:26 AM

:eek: Are you sure? I've red some about it but I still don't believe it.. If it's true.. so good luck to Nalbandian :worship:

lau

11-09-2005, 01:27 AM

well if a South American papers say it, it must be true, aslo according to them no Arges droped :tape:
:rolleyes: This has nothing to do with SA newspapers. In fact, it doesn´t matter if the news is in SA newspapers, what matters is that the news agency is DPA.... ;) That`s the source of the news...

Doctor Dance

11-09-2005, 01:28 AM

this masters is going to be a big joke :(

Tennis_Passion

11-09-2005, 01:29 AM

What's the point, he is gonna be whipped anyways, and Roger aint the only who's gonna do that:).

El Legenda

11-09-2005, 01:31 AM

this masters is going to be a big joke :(

why its not like Roddick had a chance with the back injury., and Hewitt has been out for a while, so he was not looking for anything big.

mangoes

11-09-2005, 01:31 AM

Well, I hope Nalbandian has enough time to prepare. I think he will go there with more self belief than Andy would so good luck Nalbandian.

*Viva Chile*

11-09-2005, 01:32 AM

:rolleyes: This has nothing to do with SA newspapers. In fact, it doesn´t matter if the news is in SA newspapers, what matters is that the news agency is DPA.... ;) That`s the source of the news...
That's true... in emol.com (another chilean newspaper) said that the news become from DPA agency: http://www.emol.com/noticias/deportes/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=201018

+alonso

11-09-2005, 01:34 AM

Whoa!
Terra.cl
LaTercera.cl
Emol.com
Whoa

mangoes

11-09-2005, 01:36 AM

this masters is going to be a big joke :(

The Masters were already a joke. Hewitt hasn't been around. Coria seems lost somewhere in translation. Andy has lost his mojo. Gaudio's tennis season seems to have ended already and he is just going through the motions. Davydenko........what can I say, if all I have to look forward to is a replay of his Paris masters, spare me. Ljubicic seems jinxed in finals. Roger is recovering from injury. Rafa is already the predetermined winner.

So, personally, why wait, let's get to the final between Roger and Rafa. Rafa will have the edge due to health.

Doctor Dance

11-09-2005, 01:39 AM

why its not like Roddick had a chance with the back injury., and Hewitt has been out for a while, so he was not looking for anything big.

sorry i mean joke for me because andy is one of my favourite players, it's bad i can not see him play here

El Legenda

11-09-2005, 01:40 AM

The Masters were already a joke. Hewitt hasn't been around. Coria seems lost somewhere in translation. Andy has lost his mojo. Gaudio's tennis season seems to have ended already and he is just going through the motions. Davydenko........what can I say, if all I have to look forward to is a replay of his Paris masters, spare me. Ljubicic seems jinxed in finals. Roger is recovering from injury. Rafa is already the predetermined winner.

So, personally, why wait, let's get to the final between Roger and Rafa. Rafa will have the edge due to health.

Rafa and Ivan will probly be in same group, and this time rafa wont be lucky again.

cobalt60

11-09-2005, 01:41 AM

:sad:, a shame for Andy

Billabong

11-09-2005, 01:42 AM

So Lleyton, Marat and Andy won't be there:eek: That's 3 major withdrawals!

jackieglover

11-09-2005, 01:43 AM

That sucks.

drf716

11-09-2005, 01:44 AM

it's all marat's fault, he started this pandemic!

mangoes

11-09-2005, 01:44 AM

it's all marat's fault, he started this pandemic!

lolol

shotgun

11-09-2005, 01:45 AM

If his condition was poor by the end of the year, he could have skipped Lyon and Paris. Anyway, another huge loss for the TMC.

nobama

11-09-2005, 01:47 AM

The Masters were already a joke. Hewitt hasn't been around. Coria seems lost somewhere in translation. Andy has lost his mojo. Gaudio's tennis season seems to have ended already and he is just going through the motions. Davydenko........what can I say, if all I have to look forward to is a replay of his Paris masters, spare me. Ljubicic seems jinxed in finals. Roger is recovering from injury. Rafa is already the predetermined winner.

So, personally, why wait, let's get to the final between Roger and Rafa. Rafa will have the edge due to health.Well shit then lets not even have this event....just give the trophy to Rafa and be done with it. :rolleyes:

Deboogle!.

11-09-2005, 01:49 AM

If his condition was poor by the end of the year, he could have skipped Lyon and Paris. Anyway, another huge loss for the TMC.It wasn't. He was fine right until he had this problem last Friday. He was even fine the day before. No one can figure out what happened.

nobama

11-09-2005, 01:50 AM

If his condition was poor by the end of the year, he could have skipped Lyon and Paris. Anyway, another huge loss for the TMC.Andy seemed just fine while playing in Lyon and when he kicked Hrbaty's ass in Paris. Who knows exactly what happened. :shrug:

shotgun

11-09-2005, 01:52 AM

The TMC field is getting each day more similar to the field of the Copa Argentina 2005. :lol:

Deboogle!.

11-09-2005, 01:53 AM

mirkaland, a similar thing happened to him last year near the beginning of the season, he was fine, he had won San Jose, and then had problems in Memphis. It was a different part of his back I believe, So, it's not the first time a sudden thing with his back has happened to him.

Perhaps it's worth mentioning that back problems were what forced his brother out of the game.

mangoes

11-09-2005, 01:56 AM

Well shit then lets not even have this event....just give the trophy to Rafa and be done with it. :rolleyes:

I said Rafa has the edge, but I still refuse to believe that Roger isn't going to win so let's not jump the gun here ;)

R.Federer

11-09-2005, 01:57 AM

It will not look very good that just yesterday andi is playing 3 or 4 matches (even though in an exhibition) and not going to Shanghai
It will look like he will go do exhibitions to get some money, and is not
really injured badly

Deboogle!.

11-09-2005, 01:59 AM

It will not look very good that just yesterday andi is playing 3 or 4 matches (even though in an exhibition) and not going to Shanghai
It will look like he will go do exhibitions to get some money, and is not
really injured badlyI agree that it would look really stupid and would make many of us very very upset...

But this was a charity exhibition, it was not an exhibition for money.

lau

11-09-2005, 01:59 AM

The TMC field is getting each day more similar to the field of the Copa Argentina 2005. :lol:
:haha: I made the same comment in other board.... I`ll have the same that the ones that bought Shanghai tickets for much less $$$ :o :p

tangerine_dream

11-09-2005, 02:01 AM

Several online papers are reporting it in South America. Nalbandian replaces Andy and Puerto is the alternate.

It's only "official" until Andy's reps announce his withdrawal. The fact that several south american papers are reporting it doesn't mean anything.

R.Federer

11-09-2005, 02:03 AM

I agree that it would look really stupid and would make many of us very very upset...

But this was a charity exhibition, it was not an exhibition for money.

Oh I did not know that it was charity

Noelle

11-09-2005, 02:04 AM

I'm waiting until the news comes straight from the horse's--er, I mean duck's--mouth.

PaulieM

11-09-2005, 02:05 AM

is this for real? they're really dropping like flies now...is there even anyone else left to have drop out before this thing starts? :scared:

Whistleway

11-09-2005, 02:07 AM

That shucks.. Is AA going?

lau

11-09-2005, 02:08 AM

It's only "official" until Andy's reps announce his withdrawal. The fact that several south american papers are reporting it doesn't mean anything.
It`s not "several south american papers", it`s DPA, that`s a big difference (not for me really, but for those who don´t feel comfortable trusting some SA papers :p ).... If it`s true or not, I don´t know...

lunahielo

11-09-2005, 02:14 AM

Originally posted by Whistleway
Is AA going?
He's already there.

Noelle

11-09-2005, 02:15 AM

My opinion on this is that even the ATP doesn't know what Andy's status is. Therefore, they put Nalbandian on notice to be ready to fly to Shanghai. It might have been misinterpreted by DPA to mean that Andy was officially pulling out.

Deboogle!.

11-09-2005, 02:16 AM

So, someone from China says that on the Chinese news sites, they are saying that Andy confirmed that he IS going to go and that he will decide THERE whether he is playing.

Who knows what to believe at this point :(

lau

11-09-2005, 02:20 AM

I though this things only happened with Marat :o

Deboogle!.

11-09-2005, 02:26 AM

Guess not:o

Deboogle!.

11-09-2005, 02:28 AM

it's official now

http://www.masters-cup.com/en/news/2005/nalbandian_in.asp

Daniel

11-09-2005, 02:29 AM

South American newspapers always say the truth.
Roger now win the title, you are the best of the 8 players :)

Carito_90

11-09-2005, 02:30 AM

:sad:

nobama

11-09-2005, 02:37 AM

First Marat, then Lleyton, now Andy. That really sucks.... :sad:

sigmagirl91

11-09-2005, 02:39 AM

My opinion on this is that even the ATP doesn't know what Andy's status is. Therefore, they put Nalbandian on notice to be ready to fly to Shanghai. It might have been misinterpreted by DPA to mean that Andy was officially pulling out.

this is getting ridiculous, who is playing? :(
Half of the Argentine players :wavey: :lol:

El Legenda

11-09-2005, 02:44 AM

Half of the Argentine players :wavey: :lol:

nah, its only 3 of 8 :lol:

well looks like we will see Federer vs Ljubicic or Ljubicic vs Nadal Semi-final.

lau

11-09-2005, 02:49 AM

nah, its only 3 of 8 :lol:

:secret: The (current) first alternative player is Arg. too :devil:

:haha:

MissMoJo

11-09-2005, 02:49 AM

Half of the Argentine players :wavey: :lol:
Well i hope they'll be playing some inspired tennis (coria and gaudio especially..well nalby too really :o ) It's a shame andy, lleyton and marat will be missing, but it will be even more so if the argentines play as poorly as many people suspect they will.

R.Federer

11-09-2005, 02:49 AM

how awesome for the Argentine players, 3 out of 8 they should be proud of
plus 1 alternative

Noelle

11-09-2005, 02:52 AM

Yes, they do....
http://www.masters-cup.com/en/news/2005/nalbandian_in.asp
You do realize I posted what I said BEFORE the official news came out. :rolleyes:

lau

11-09-2005, 02:52 AM

Well i hope they'll be playing some inspired tennis (coria and gaudio especially..well nalby too really :o ) It's a shame andy, lleyton and marat will be missing, but it will be even more so if the argentines play as poorly as many people suspect they will.
Seriously,...I must admit I don´t expect much of them. Specially if the surface is as fast as it´s said to be.

El Legenda

11-09-2005, 02:54 AM

:secret: The (current) first alternative player is Arg. too :devil:

4 of 9 is still not half :D

Daniel

11-09-2005, 02:54 AM

We will see Gaudio showing he rocks in fast surfaces :) :banana:

lau

11-09-2005, 02:56 AM

4 of 9 is still not half :D
oh well,..... I`m glad I`m wrong in this case :p

Jill

11-09-2005, 02:58 AM

Go Nalbandian.

mangoes

11-09-2005, 03:01 AM

Well i hope they'll be playing some inspired tennis (coria and gaudio especially..well nalby too really :o ) It's a shame andy, lleyton and marat will be missing, but it will be even more so if the argentines play as poorly as many people suspect they will.

I hate to admit it, but I'm not expecting much from them and I really hope I'm wrong.

NYCtennisfan

11-09-2005, 03:08 AM

It's really too bad that it all had to work out this way this year. I'm glad that Federer was able to make it and Agassi decided to show up. Could you imainge the filed wihtout those guys?

ReturnWinner

11-09-2005, 03:18 AM

I am sorry for roddick´s fans but here is the official news : http://www.masters-cup.com/en/news/2005/nalbandian_in.asp

Plastic Bertrand

11-09-2005, 03:19 AM

It seems this is like sightings of Lochness Monster, something seems to be there, but unsure of what it actually is.

Well this would be more of a problem if this effected the Slams, than this event and large sections of MTF is in a collective doom. It is more important that these guys get themselves fit, instead of turning up for the sake of playing, but as for the tournament there will still be some good tennis and the fans in Shanghai will still support the event.

tangerine_dream

11-09-2005, 03:23 AM

You do realize I posted what I said BEFORE the official news came out. :rolleyes:
No, of course she doesn't. :o

Well, this sucks. No Andy, Marat, or Lleyton. *yawn* Well, at least Rafa and Andre will be there. :banana: Wait, I just remembered that they have a score to settle from Cananda. :devil: If the draw gods see fit, this TMC could work out better than expected. *rubs hands in anticipation*

And as for Roger, maybe I'm just overly cautious, but I still can't believe that he's actually going to play. He showed up to make the promoters happy and accept his No. 1 trophy, but now he's saying that he may not be ok to play.

Too many players were sending out mixed signals all week. :(

nitsansh

11-09-2005, 03:29 AM

So who is the alternate now??

RickDaStick

11-09-2005, 03:29 AM

Puerta

ReturnWinner

11-09-2005, 03:30 AM

Mariano Puerta
So who is the alternate now??

nitsansh

11-09-2005, 03:35 AM

Can you imagine a group with Nadal, Coria, Davydenko and Gaudio on carpet?? :haha:

Leo

11-09-2005, 03:36 AM

What a joke! :eek: :( :rolleyes:

RickDaStick

11-09-2005, 03:38 AM

Can you imagine a group with Nadal, Coria, Davydenko and Gaudio on carpet?? :haha:

And as for Roger, maybe I'm just overly cautious, but I still can't believe that he's actually going to play. He showed up to make the promoters happy and accept his No. 1 trophy, but now he's saying that he may not be ok to play.

Where did you see or read this? I have not heard anything where he is saying "he may not be okay to play" since he arrived in Shanghai - could you please give a link or something? Thankyou

squirtkb97

11-09-2005, 03:51 AM

Where did you see or read this? I have not heard anything where he is saying "he may not be okay to play" since he arrived in Shanghai - could you please give a link or something? Thankyou

From Roger's website (http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/rogers/news/newsdetail.cfm?uNewsID=231) yesterday:Well the draw comes out on Wednesday so he doesn't have much time to withdraw if he's going to. I think if he was going to withdraw he would've announced it already.

lucashg

11-09-2005, 04:13 AM

Oh, now Roddick.

TMC is looking as ridiculous as the YEC. :o

But Coria, Gaudio and Nalbandian have nice, enjoyable games, so if they're able to bring their best (which unfortunately I'm doubting), we might get some treats. I'd rather have the original trio (ok, I'd get Coria - I do realize he didn't get one of their spots but we're talking about argentines here - instead of Roddick anyday), but what can one do?

Ok, Roger has to play now. I think it's great for Argentina to have 4 players there, but enough is enough and I don't wanna see Puerta playing. :p

sigmagirl91

11-09-2005, 04:34 AM

With all the withdrawals, Coria or Davydenko will be the top seed. :eek:

euroka1

11-09-2005, 05:08 AM

It strikes me that this is an injury that gets turned on and off at convenience, even on a daily basis. For his promoters, the charity events are more important and he just didn't want to get trounced all round in Shanghai.

haas'luv

11-09-2005, 05:34 AM

:devil: hehehe,ive been waitin 4 david for quite a long time....my dream almost comes true now :D

landoud

11-09-2005, 05:59 AM

any other withdrawals ??????????? :mad: :mad: :mad: :( :( :(

Clara Bow

11-09-2005, 06:08 AM

This is a shame. I was looking forward to seeing Andy play and hoping for some good matches with Roger and/or Rafa and/or Ivan.

Well- maybe we will be surprised and out of a depleted ranks we will get a match this year that will be near the caliber of the Roger/Marat match at last year's Master's Cup. Who knows?

ugotlobbed

11-09-2005, 06:17 AM

NALBY NALBY NALBY

bad gambler

11-09-2005, 06:40 AM

bad luck roddick, but for the best so he can be right for AO

Action Jackson

11-09-2005, 06:46 AM

Just get healthy and come back for the AO.

$@M

11-09-2005, 06:50 AM

What a shame... he played pretty well in Paris... hope he's prepared when AO comes... :)

1sun

11-09-2005, 09:49 AM

this is shit, this tm is gonna be a fucking joke.

~EMiLiTA~

11-09-2005, 09:53 AM

that's a real shame for him and the tournament...this tmc is one of the worst ever in terms of high profile withdrawals

Exodus

11-09-2005, 10:38 AM

it shouldn't even be called masters anymore, should be called the "lucky losers" tourny LOL

Noelle

11-09-2005, 10:48 AM

It strikes me that this is an injury that gets turned on and off at convenience, even on a daily basis. For his promoters, the charity events are more important and he just didn't want to get trounced all round in Shanghai.
:cuckoo:

You've been beating this drum all week; frankly, I think it's a baseless accusation. I think the charity exhibition was hit-and-giggle, nonserious competition which he used to assess his back fitness.

It strikes me that these top players (and I'm not just talking about Roddick) would not be ranked where they are if they didn't have a fiercely competitive drive to be the best. That drive wouldn't let them sleep well at night if they knew they were withdrawing from a tournament even if they were fit to compete. I believe these players are ranked where they are because they don't shirk tough matches and try their best to rebound from being "trounced". They aren't ranked in the Top 10 because they're cowards.

DhammaTiger

11-09-2005, 11:13 AM

this masters is going to be a big joke :(
Why is it going to be a joke, may I ask? Just because Roddick is not going, does it become a joke. Strange, the line up has the two best players in the world by a far margin,Roger and Rafa, and the hottest player on the indoor circuit in ,Ljubicic, yet it's a joke in your opinion.

DhammaTiger

11-09-2005, 11:18 AM

Oh, now Roddick.

TMC is looking as ridiculous as the YEC. :o

But Coria, Gaudio and Nalbandian have nice, enjoyable games, so if they're able to bring their best (which unfortunately I'm doubting), we might get some treats. I'd rather have the original trio (ok, I'd get Coria - I do realize he didn't get one of their spots but we're talking about argentines here - instead of Roddick anyday), but what can one do?

Ok, Roger has to play now. I think it's great for Argentina to have 4 players there, but enough is enough and I don't wanna see Puerta playing. :p
It's your opinion and you are entitled to it. But I have to point out that Mariano and all the Argentines are there on merit. I for one would like to see Mariano play, he earned it.

euroka1

11-09-2005, 11:34 AM

:cuckoo:

You've been beating this drum all week; frankly, I think it's a baseless accusation. I think the charity exhibition was hit-and-giggle, nonserious competition which he used to assess his back fitness.

It strikes me that these top players (and I'm not just talking about Roddick) would not be ranked where they are if they didn't have a fiercely competitive drive to be the best. That drive wouldn't let them sleep well at night if they knew they were withdrawing from a tournament even if they were fit to compete. I believe these players are ranked where they are because they don't shirk tough matches and try their best to rebound from being "trounced". They aren't ranked in the Top 10 because they're cowards.

Andy Roddick is now driven more by the fiercely competitive money machine behind him than by the game of tennis. He'd rather be off in Las Vegas being fiercely competitive there. There's no denying that he has a tremendous natural talent that will keep him near the top as long as he cares to use it but it is a pity to see so much of it being wasted. Look to Federer for an example of one who is handling his TENNIS career well.

Noelle

11-09-2005, 11:40 AM

Andy Roddick is now driven more by the fiercely competitive money machine behind him than by the game of tennis. He'd rather be off in Las Vegas being fiercely competitive there.
Oh, you must be one of those people who have a direct line into Andy Roddick's psyche. :o Sorry, my mistake then.

Action Jackson

11-09-2005, 11:44 AM

Get rid of the Masters, if it's going to be that much of a joke, then people don't have to watch it, they should don clown suits and just play exhibitions.

shotgun

11-09-2005, 11:47 AM

It's your opinion and you are entitled to it. But I have to point out that Mariano and all the Argentines are there on merit. I for one would like to see Mariano play, he earned it.

He earned it? Not yet.

shruti

11-09-2005, 11:50 AM

Get rid of the Masters, if it's going to be that much of a joke, then people don't have to watch it, they should don clown suits and just play exhibitions.
i second tat!! :worship:

almouchie

11-09-2005, 12:08 PM

i guess the 'injury' must have been still naggin him & besides he knows even a 100% fit Roddick donest have a great chance to win TMC
when did Hewitt withdraw ?? is the birth of his child the reason?

*Ljubica*

11-09-2005, 12:50 PM

I am sorry that Roddick is injured and wish him a speedy recovery - it is a shame for him and his fans that he has to miss this.

And I want Mariano Puerta to play too - at least he was prepared to go over there as an alternate and join in the "spirit" of the tournament, as opposed to refusing to be an alternate and only travelling if guaranteed to play as some would do :rolleyes: So good luck Mariano.

MissFairy

11-09-2005, 01:10 PM

Andy Roddick is now driven more by the fiercely competitive money machine behind him than by the game of tennis. He'd rather be off in Las Vegas being fiercely competitive there. There's no denying that he has a tremendous natural talent that will keep him near the top as long as he cares to use it but it is a pity to see so much of it being wasted. Look to Federer for an example of one who is handling his TENNIS career well.
Roddick sometimes makes ill-advised decisions, i agree. For example playing too many exhibition charity matches close to other tournaments, scheduling in little practise time because of his prior commitments, but i don't agree that this is driven by the urge to make money.

I truly believe he'd rather be on court competing than anywhere else if he can, that was why he continued to play in Paris when so obviously struggling with an injury. He wants to compete on court, he handles his tennis career fine. There are a few niggles in his schedule i'd like to iron out, but it's not making serious problems in his advancements surely.

avocadoe

11-09-2005, 01:29 PM

Too bad for Andy but if he can't serve like he does and that is very hard on the back, he couldn't do much there. Also, those rooms are like so expensive, do the players get a discount or anything?

jazz_girl

11-09-2005, 01:34 PM

Also, those rooms are like so expensive, do the players get a discount or anything?
:lol:

joycomesmorning

11-09-2005, 01:43 PM

Roddick sometimes makes ill-advised decisions, i agree. For example playing too many exhibition charity matches close to other tournaments, scheduling in little practise time because of his prior commitments, but i don't agree that this is driven by the urge to make money.

I truly believe he'd rather be on court competing than anywhere else if he can, that was why he continued to play in Paris when so obviously struggling with an injury. He wants to compete on court, he handles his tennis career fine. There are a few niggles in his schedule i'd like to iron out, but it's not making serious problems in his advancements surely.
Yes, I agree. It's Andy's career...and the YEC are not what they used to be in terms of importance...the USA press is paying NO attention at all.

So if Andy closes to play an exo...and then skip the long trip to China for a pretty much foregone conclusion, who can fault him for that.

He's already a multimillionaire who came from a quite wealthy family...money is probably never going to be a motivation for him...and he will stay ranked at # 3 no matter what... hope he takes his time off enjoying himself and recouping from what has been, all in all, a season tough in some ways but all right in others!!

Of course, American TV will miss Andy...and it may hurt some ratings here...but won't be that big of deal since not that many folks watch anyway.

jcm

euroka1

11-09-2005, 01:43 PM

Roddick sometimes makes ill-advised decisions, i agree. For example playing too many exhibition charity matches close to other tournaments, scheduling in little practise time because of his prior commitments, but i don't agree that this is driven by the urge to make money.

I truly believe he'd rather be on court competing than anywhere else if he can, that was why he continued to play in Paris when so obviously struggling with an injury. He wants to compete on court, he handles his tennis career fine. There are a few niggles in his schedule i'd like to iron out, but it's not making serious problems in his advancements surely.

Maybe the reference to the Hilton sisters at the foot of your message adds to my case! He does not need to make money, I agree, but seriously, I think Roddick's career is hampered by all those people behind him who are concerned with maximum exposure and maximum money making ability. I do not see him really being in control of his life. With a smaller commercial interest, Federer is much more flexible, able to concentrate on the tennis and to pace himself and his schedule when necessary.

amierin

11-09-2005, 01:45 PM

I expected this so I'm not that upset with Andy. What I am wondering about are the references to an exhibition he played/will play. What's up with that?

Everyone bitched and moaned about the withdrawals at Paris and Vienna and both tournaments provided exciting play.

I think Nalbandian will show up to play. I'm not sure about Gaudio. After his showing in Paris he should be thanking all the gods that he made this cut. I hope he brings his "A" game.

MissFairy

11-09-2005, 02:25 PM

Maybe the reference to the Hilton sisters at the foot of your message adds to my case! He does not need to make money, I agree, but seriously, I think Roddick's career is hampered by all those people behind him who are concerned with maximum exposure and maximum money making ability. I do not see him really being in control of his life. With a smaller commercial interest, Federer is much more flexible, able to concentrate on the tennis and to pace himself and his schedule when necessary.
LMAO, my signature is not only just for my jollys but also not based on any solid truth. I just needed to something to make me smile, that did it for me.

Roddick sure has more commercial interest in him. Being from the States, young, handsome, big personality, he's very marketable, more so than Federer. With this demand on him, he needs to provide. He cannot just ignore what his media want/need from him, so he schedules time in to satisfy that.

Although, i truly think that if he didn't want to give interviews on late shows, or play charity exos, he wouldn't. He doesn't have a huge team behind him, and it seems to me he has a say in what he does and what he doesn't.

MissFairy

11-09-2005, 02:29 PM

I expected this so I'm not that upset with Andy. What I am wondering about are the references to an exhibition he played/will play. What's up with that?

Everyone bitched and moaned about the withdrawals at Paris and Vienna and both tournaments provided exciting play.

I think Nalbandian will show up to play. I'm not sure about Gaudio. After his showing in Paris he should be thanking all the gods that he made this cut. I hope he brings his "A" game.
On Monday night, Andy played an exhibition match with Billie-Jean King and Elton John in aid of a charity. He was still suffering from back spasms at the time, so many people including myself, thought the appearance was ill advised.

Although, now with the hindsight of his withdrawal, he may not have been thinking of playing in Shanghai after incurring the injury in Paris and thought maybe the appearance would not further his back problem. Also, considering he had commited himself to play the exo way back in the early part of the season he felt a sense of duty to it too.

nobama

11-09-2005, 02:39 PM

LMAO, my signature is not only just for my jollys but also not based on any solid truth. I just needed to something to make me smile, that did it for me.

Roddick sure has more commercial interest in him. Being from the States, young, handsome, big personality, he's very marketable, more so than Federer. With this demand on him, he needs to provide. He cannot just ignore what his media want/need from him, so he schedules time in to satisfy that.

Although, i truly think that if he didn't want to give interviews on late shows, or play charity exos, he wouldn't. He doesn't have a huge team behind him, and it seems to me he has a say in what he does and what he doesn't.Andy has more commercial interest and is more "marketable" because he's from the USA period. If Fed was from the USA he'd be making more money, he'd be plastered on the cover of ESPN and Sports Illustrated (when exactly is the last time Andy made the cover of either one of those magazines?). Heck, he might even win player of the year. Globally I don't think you can say Andy is more marketable. Not that Fed really is a huge global star ala David Beckham or Tiger Woods, but I would still say outside of the USA he's a bigger star than Andy is. Which only makes sense because he's #1 and therefore is obliged to do more to promote the sport world wide.

Pea

11-09-2005, 02:44 PM

Wow, TMC hasn't been this enjoyable since 3 years ago.
Go David!

MissFairy

11-09-2005, 02:46 PM

Andy has more commercial interest and is more "marketable" because he's from the USA period. If Fed was from the USA he'd be making more money, he'd be plastered on the cover of ESPN and Sports Illustrated (when exactly is the last time Andy made the cover of either one of those magazines?). Heck, he might even win player of the year. Globally I don't think you can say Andy is more marketable. Not that Fed really is a huge global star ala David Beckham or Tiger Woods, but I would still say outside of the USA he's a bigger star than Andy is. Which only makes sense because he's #1 and therefore is obliged to do more to promote the sport world wide.
I don't necessarily agree. I don't really know how much of a star Roddick is in the US, but from what i've seen through the TV shows/magazines he's on, he's pretty big, so yes, he dwarfs Federer in that States. But outside the states, i don't know if the roles get reversed so much.

Over here, Federer is not that huge despite winning Wimbledon three years on the trot. Now that's unbelievable. Sure people who follow tennis here understand the phenomenon that his skill is, but besides that, nada. People recognise Roddick here because he's in the bigger media, he was on quiz shows and the talk shows from the US are aired here, so people know him more generally.

Anyhow, this is besides the main point. The original comment was that Andy would *rather* be media-mingling, doing photoshoots or gambling that competing at the sport he's devoted his life too. And that simply isn't true.

joycomesmorning

11-09-2005, 02:57 PM

Andy has more commercial interest and is more "marketable" because he's from the USA period. If Fed was from the USA he'd be making more money, he'd be plastered on the cover of ESPN and Sports Illustrated (when exactly is the last time Andy made the cover of either one of those magazines?). Heck, he might even win player of the year. Globally I don't think you can say Andy is more marketable. Not that Fed really is a huge global star ala David Beckham or Tiger Woods, but I would still say outside of the USA he's a bigger star than Andy is. Which only makes sense because he's #1 and therefore is obliged to do more to promote the sport world wide.
I agree. The "problem" is not Roger Federer any more than The solution is ONLY Andy Roddick.

When tennis was in it's prime days of public interest (global as well as just in the USA) tennis was personality and defined-rivalries driven. Tennis, especially men's tennis, is short on either of those two commodities now. Tennis, at least in the USA, has been reduced to second-third class. On most Internet sites, it does not even have its own identity but is grouped into "Other Sports."

Will Andy Roddick be missed in Shanghai? Except for a few mean-spirited "tennis fans," yes he will. He brings an out-going, media-friendly charm that isn't the strong suit of many of the others. And the bottom line is that his absence will give American sports fans yet another reason that they did not need NOT to watch tennis...

jcm

mangoes

11-09-2005, 03:02 PM

I don't necessarily agree. I don't really know how much of a star Roddick is in the US, but from what i've seen through the TV shows/magazines he's on, he's pretty big, so yes, he dwarfs Federer in that States. But outside the states, i don't know if the roles get reversed so much.

Over here, Federer is not that huge despite winning Wimbledon three years on the trot. Now that's unbelievable. Sure people who follow tennis here understand the phenomenon that his skill is, but besides that, nada. People recognise Roddick here because he's in the bigger media, he was on quiz shows and the talk shows from the US are aired here, so people know him more generally.

Anyhow, this is besides the main point. The original comment was that Andy would *rather* be media-mingling, doing photoshoots or gambling that competing at the sport he's devoted his life too. And that simply isn't true.

The most prominent male tennis star in America is Andre Agassi. Andy is known, but not as known or as dominant a tennis star as say Serena Williams.

mangoes

11-09-2005, 03:05 PM

Will Andy Roddick be missed in Shanghai? Except for a few mean-spirited "tennis fans," yes he will. He brings an out-going, media-friendly charm that isn't the strong suit of many of the others. And the bottom line is that his absence will give American sports fans yet another reason that they did not need NOT to watch tennis...

jcm

I agree that Andy will definitely be missed in Shanghai, but Andre is a bigger draw to American male tennis than Andy and Andre is in Shanghai so I think that's a big boost for American television. If both Andy and Andre had withdrawn, then I think we could safely say, American sports fans won't be tuning in so very much.

tennischick

11-09-2005, 03:31 PM

Will Andy Roddick be missed in Shanghai? Except for a few mean-spirited "tennis fans," yes he will. He brings an out-going, media-friendly charm that isn't the strong suit of many of the others. And the bottom line is that his absence will give American sports fans yet another reason that they did not need NOT to watch tennis...

jcm
mean-spirited "tennis fan" here -- thank goodness Agassi is still going to Shaghai or we might get no US coverage whatsoever.

congrats to David. he deserves this shot.

tennischick

11-09-2005, 03:32 PM

The most prominent male tennis star in America is Andre Agassi. Andy is known, but not as known or as dominant a tennis star as say Serena Williams.
i think the Duck is pretty big. Amex would not have developed a campaign around a Nobody. unfortunately for them, they might as well have :tape:

MissFairy

11-09-2005, 03:45 PM

The most prominent male tennis star in America is Andre Agassi. Andy is known, but not as known or as dominant a tennis star as say Serena Williams.
Andy pulling out will affect viewing figures i think. Although Agassi may be indeed a bigger name across the whole of the States, recognisable through his great achievements and longevity of his career, many viewers will become disinterested without Roddick being there.

He is the definition of commercial tennis, for casual tennis (or indeed sports) fans, he's needed i think. He'll make a viewer stop to watch when flipping through channels etc. Serena being a big star is a moot point in this however, being a female star.

amierin

11-09-2005, 03:58 PM

On Monday night, Andy played an exhibition match with Billie-Jean King and Elton John in aid of a charity. He was still suffering from back spasms at the time, so many people including myself, thought the appearance was ill advised.

How diplomatic of you to say it was an ill advised choice. Someone mentioned Roddick having exhibitions to do in December and that he might not show up for Shanghai but whatever. On another board there's a thread based on a statement Andy made about not getting respect. This doesn't help. I understand he was committed to this event but if so then it was obvious he wasn't going to Shanghai.

Agassi is the bigger name in U S tennis but right now Roddick should be making his move to become the bigger name. I'm disappointed but not surprised.

MissFairy

11-09-2005, 04:04 PM

How diplomatic of you to say it was an ill advised choice. Someone mentioned Roddick having exhibitions to do in December and that he might not show up for Shanghai but whatever. On another board there's a thread based on a statement Andy made about not getting respect. This doesn't help. I understand he was committed to this event but if so then it was obvious he wasn't going to Shanghai.

Agassi is the bigger name in U S tennis but right now Roddick should be making his move to become the bigger name. I'm disappointed but not surprised.
Even though, yes, he had been commited to this exo event for a long time, i don't think he even intended not to make the trip to Shanghai. If he had been fully fit, he would've travelled from the event to the TMC in time to play, i have no hesitations over that.

What i don't agree with necessarily, is commiting in the first place. He and his team know that the final event is the next week, and the crazy travelling schedule it would create, but they still signed up. This is what i meant by sometimes not prioritising right, and niggles in his year.

amierin

11-09-2005, 04:11 PM

I think Agassi is there to try and beat Nadal at least once before he retires by playing him on what is said to be a very fast court. He's had time to rest and with all the rumors about his medical regimen flying about to do whatever he feels he has to do in order to play. He also probably wants to defeat Federer.

I believer Andy is hurt. I just think it's time he either fish or cut bait re the big ones.

mangoes

11-09-2005, 04:27 PM

Even though, yes, he had been commited to this exo event for a long time, i don't think he even intended not to make the trip to Shanghai. If he had been fully fit, he would've travelled from the event to the TMC in time to play, i have no hesitations over that.
.

Well, I have a lot of hesitations saying that is the case without doubt. I don't think anyone really knows what Andy's intentions were. I can safely make a case for either side. Only Andy and his team knew his intentions. He certainly isn't going to share with the public his private thoughts or intentions. Afterall, Andy still has an image to maintain. So no one really knows. All that's had by everyone is an opinion.

That said, I personally like Andy and was disappointed by his first round loss, but the US Open survived without him in terms of US ratings. Andre Agassi pulled in some of the best ratings for the 2005 US Open in America. So, I think Andre being in Shanghai will still cause a lot of Americans to tune in. And, if Andre does extremely well in Shanghai, ratings will not suffer in the US over the loss of Andy.

MissFairy

11-09-2005, 06:05 PM

Well, I have a lot of hesitations saying that is the case without doubt. I don't think anyone really knows what Andy's intentions were. I can safely make a case for either side. Only Andy and his team knew his intentions. He certainly isn't going to share with the public his private thoughts or intentions. Afterall, Andy still has an image to maintain. So no one really knows. All that's had by everyone is an opinion.

That said, I personally like Andy and was disappointed by his first round loss, but the US Open survived without him in terms of US ratings. Andre Agassi pulled in some of the best ratings for the 2005 US Open in America. So, I think Andre being in Shanghai will still cause a lot of Americans to tune in. And, if Andre does extremely well in Shanghai, ratings will not suffer in the US over the loss of Andy.
I don't understand why he nor any other player who qualifies for the prestigious year-end event wouldn't want to play, Roddick included. It's a special tournament considering the field and time of year, so i really do believe he wanted to play. He's turned up the last two years that he qualified, got through to the semis each time as well. So he's even got a decent record going in.

The ratings sure did survive the US Open, i'm sure. With Agassi and Blake putting forth their best, strongest effort getting to the final and beating some of the favourites along the way respectively. But i still think that Roddick not showing will affect the ratings, i'm not saying they will plummet from previous years by no means. Also the culminated effect of Roddick, Hewitt and Safin pulling out will cause ratings to fall too.

nobama

11-09-2005, 06:28 PM

I don't necessarily agree. I don't really know how much of a star Roddick is in the US, but from what i've seen through the TV shows/magazines he's on, he's pretty big, so yes, he dwarfs Federer in that States. But outside the states, i don't know if the roles get reversed so much. Of course he dwarfs Fed in the States because he's American and Fed is Swiss. And as I said I don't think Fed is on par with a Tiger Woods or David Beckham as far as being a global superstar. But he did win the Laureus world sports award for best male athlete - the only tennis player to win that award since the inception of the awards in 2000. So I would still argue outside of the USA he's a bigger 'star' than Andy Roddick (or a lot of other players).

Over here, Federer is not that huge despite winning Wimbledon three years on the trot. Now that's unbelievable. Sure people who follow tennis here understand the phenomenon that his skill is, but besides that, nada. People recognise Roddick here because he's in the bigger media, he was on quiz shows and the talk shows from the US are aired here, so people know him more generally. Again I think the reason Roddick is bigger in the media over here and on more talk shows, ect. is because he's from here. If he was from some European country I don't think he'd be on SNL or Jay Leno. I don't ever expect Fed to be huge in the States because he doesn't live here and doesn't spend a lot of time here. When he's not on court he's either at home in Switzerland or on holiday in Dubai or something.

Anyhow, this is besides the main point. The original comment was that Andy would *rather* be media-mingling, doing photoshoots or gambling that competing at the sport he's devoted his life too. And that simply isn't true.This I can agree with you on. I think he cares a lot and for anyone to suggest Andy's not serious about tennis is :retard:

MissFairy

11-09-2005, 06:36 PM

Mirkaland i'm glad we agree on something (: And what we agree on, really is what we're talking about anyhow, so that's good really.

But still, living in and having visited european countries i just didn't see that Federer was a huge star, or a big star even. When i visited Switzerland in summer 04 just after he'd won Wimbledon for the second consecutive year, there was no media frenzy on him. I don't know, i thought it would've caused a bigger impact.

Dexter_1986

11-09-2005, 07:43 PM

:sad:

Noelle

11-09-2005, 11:40 PM

When i visited Switzerland in summer 04 just after he'd won Wimbledon for the second consecutive year, there was no media frenzy on him. I don't know, i thought it would've caused a bigger impact.
Maybe the Swiss are a little more low-key about the whole celebrity thing. ;) :kiss:

nobama

11-10-2005, 02:29 AM

Mirkaland i'm glad we agree on something (: And what we agree on, really is what we're talking about anyhow, so that's good really.

But still, living in and having visited european countries i just didn't see that Federer was a huge star, or a big star even. When i visited Switzerland in summer 04 just after he'd won Wimbledon for the second consecutive year, there was no media frenzy on him. I don't know, i thought it would've caused a bigger impact.All I was saying is outside of the USA Fed's probably a bigger star than Roddick. I think this year has been different though because more people are aware of him based on what he did in 2004.

nkhera1

11-10-2005, 05:09 AM

So does that prove that Roddick didn't fake his injury?

*Ljubica*

11-10-2005, 06:34 AM

Maybe the Swiss are a little more low-key about the whole celebrity thing. ;) :kiss:

Yes - I think that's true and it's great :) I've been to Basel and seen Roger walking around the streets with Mirka - and no one notices them. He is only an ordinary guy and entitled to a private life and they respect that - people tend to ignore "celebrities" going about their business here in London too. And I agree with Mirkaland - that generally - Federer is more well-known here in Europe which is only to be expected I guess.